Toy Caldwell of the Marshall Tucker Band passed away in 1993 at the age of 45. Now, more than three decades later, one of his bandmates, drummer Paul T. Riddle, is working hard to make sure the fallen guitarist’s legacy of work is not forgotten.

Caldwell was also the principal songwriter for the legendary Southern rock group and penned many of their best-known songs, including the signature fan favorite, “Can’t You See,” which appeared on the band’s 1973 self-titled debut, plus others like “Heard it in a Love Song” and “Take the Highway.”

The Marshall Tucker Band took their name, by chance, from a keychain they found in the warehouse where they rehearsed in their early days as a group. Little did they know that their namesake was actually a local piano tuner named Marshall Tucker, who lived in the Spartanburg, South Carolina area where they first formed.

In a 2020 interview, Tucker himself said he’d used the premises for tuning pianos and handed the keychain in when he moved out, and hadn’t known about the band using his name at first. “I was at a friend’s house and the friend told me he saw I was going to be playing tonight,” he recalled. “I said, ‘No I’m not going to be playing – I’m just sitting here with you.’” He added: “In a way, my name has been as far as Russia. My mother always told me, ‘Son, your name will go further than your face,’ and that is for sure.”

Listen to Marshall Tucker Band’s ‘Can’t You See’

The Origins of the Toy Factory and the Marshall Tucker Band

Riddle’s new band name honors the pre-Marshall Tucker Band days when he first met Caldwell, who was playing at the time in a group called the Toy Factory, alongside his brother, Tommy Caldwell and others. The budding musician had seen the Toy Factory play live, so when Tommy came to one of the shows he was playing with his own band and invited him to come play music with him and Toy, he was all in.

The drummer was the youngest member of the group, which officially adopted the moniker of the Marshall Tucker Band before he’d even reached his 20th birthday. Toy Caldwell and rhythm guitarist George McCorkle anchored the initial lineup that also featured Tommy on bass, plus Riddle, vocalist Doug Gray and multi-instrumentalist Jerry Eubanks.

“[Toy] liked the flute texture [which became an important element of the Marshall Tucker Band’s music], because he liked Jethro Tull,” Riddle tells UCR. “Toy liked that texture with his songs. It was the first real band [that I was part of that was] going to play original music. The first song I learned to play when I was 16 years old was ‘Can’t You See.’

Why ‘Can’t You See’ Remains a Fan Favorite

Even though it’s been more than 50 years since Riddle recorded “Can’t You See,” which eventually became and remains a radio staple, he still gets emotional if he’s driving in the car and hears it come across the airwaves. “I think we believe him,” he says now, considering why the song still has such a heavy impact both personally and with fans. It illustrates an important element of Caldwell’s songwriting.

“He said they’re just honest [songs]. And I thought that was so profound,” Riddle adds. “I think that’s the key. When you would hear Toy sing that song, he would just sing it like he was never going to take another breath and he would play it that way. And I think that’s what touches people is his songs.”

Life After Toy

Tommy Caldwell was killed in a tragic auto accident in 1980. The band regrouped to make another album, 1981’s Dedicated, with longtime friends Charlie Daniels and harmonica legend Norton Buffalo (Steve Miller Band) among those who helped the members pay tribute to Caldwell. Legendary producer Tom Dowd too stepped in and helped to oversee the sessions.

READ MORE: When the Marshall Tucker Band’s Tommy Caldwell Died

Riddle says that it was understandably an emotional experience making the album and honoring Caldwell, who all involved, Toy included, had acknowledged as the unspoken leader of the group.

By 1984, Toy Caldwell and Riddle left the Marshall Tucker Band. The drummer came off the road and pursued a separate career in teaching and raising a family. Toy eventually carried forward musically and formed a new group, the Toy Caldwell Band which released one album prior to his 1993 passing.

Long after Toy was gone, Riddle couldn’t forget the good times and the power of songwriting stuck with him as well. So much so that he eventually decided to revisit Caldwell’s songs. The Toy Factory Project was born and made its live concert debut last year with an appearance at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival.

Watch Toy Factory Project Perform ‘Take the Highway’

Meet the Toy Factory Project

The band features a powerhouse lineup of Riddle on drums, guitarist and vocalist Marcus King, Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr on additional guitars and vocals, bassist and vocalist Oteil Burbridge (the Allman Brothers Band, Dead & Company) and Mountain Heart keyboardist Josh Shilling. Fiddler/violinist Billy Contreras (Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder) and percussionist Jimmy Rector also perform with the group for its live shows.

The Telluride performance demonstrates that this fledgling group is a potent combination collectively. King and Starr in particular are perfectly matched both vocally and as guitarists.

It is evident the work that’s gone into developing this project as a whole. On that day in Telluride, the thought care and time spent getting ready for the show were impossible to miss and there was an infectious energy on stage.

Riddle working with Shilling who played a major part in developing arrangements for songs they are playing had an interesting idea for approach he wanted to take.

When it came to reworking classic Marshall Tucker Band material which also touches on some material that Caldwell didn’t write like “Fire on the Mountain,” Riddle envisioned taking out flute and saxophone parts from original recordings replacing them with violin and Hammond B-3 organ.

“We’re not a tribute band. We are honoring these songs not copying them,” he explains. “If I’d used a flute player it would have been….just too much. It had been too much of a signature [part of the original music]. I just love [how songs like] ‘Can’t You See’ sound now with fiddle. It makes it different — and I always knew I wanted to use B-3 period.”

Does Toy Factory Project Have Any Music Recorded?

Yes in fact there’s an album that’s been done for a good while now recorded at Peter Frampton’s studio in Nashville. The record features guest spots from Frampton and others including Derek Trucks (Tedeschi Trucks Band, Allman Brothers Band) and Vince Gill.

All of this has been a long time coming. It’s something very personal that Riddle has been working on for close to 15 years. Vince Gill he tells us was one of earliest supporters of project. “He has always been in our corner been in my corner this whole time,” he says. “[Vince] played little rhythm on record sang backgrounds on ‘This Old Cowboy’ sang last verse of ‘Heard it In a Love Song’ which is really really special.”

Warren Haynes and Chuck Leavell are other names who were involved early on understandably trying to coordinate schedules with everyone involved proved to be challenge. Progress forward momentum eventually stalled while Riddle kept faith someday it would all come together it was his wife who helped finally kick things into gear.

She issued ultimatum told him needed make phone calls get things going again or he’d have stop talking about it. With support Gill who’d never left his “corner” also Burbridge who’d been attached it since those early days as well pieces finally began fall into place.

As lineup with King Starr others solidified they eventually arrived point where recorded album which overseen by producer Chuck Ainlay (Mark Knopfler Dire Straits Peter Frampton Willie Nelson). Completed about four years ago drummer says album will hopefully be out later this year or early next.

He’s still thrilled by experience revisiting material tells UCR they recorded all songs less than two weeks many initial performances captured live off floor in single take.

How to See Toy Factory Project Live

Last summer’s performance at Telluride Bluegrass Festival was their official live debut. Playing in front thousands Riddle Toy Factory Project turned out energetic set fans are still talking about. They were joined by guests Bela Fleck Sam Bush for several numbers found their allotted 90 minutes stage time flew by.

They’ll return stage this week with two performances at Capitol Theatre Port Chester N.Y starting tonight (Feb 26). Additional concerts will follow May including appearance annual DelFest Cumberland MO.

The Capitol concerts which you can watch live via Nugs will feature group playing two sets that Riddle says will clock around hour 20 minutes each. He’s excited about gigs because says they will have chance play even more songs including several they had cut from Telluride performance last year due timing.

“I think people deserve hear [these] songs played like that with love that’s in it,” he says. “We’ve got motto It’s all about love music love road Oteil said ‘You know what we have no one else has? We have complete joy And I said ‘Man you’re right that’s it.’

Listen to Paul T. Riddle on the ‘UCR Podcast’

Watch Toy Factory Project Perform ‘Can’t You See’